Ian Macdonald Partner


Speaks:  English

Year of Call: 2001 - Ontario

Primary phone: +1 416-369-4602

Fax: +1 416-862-7661

Email: ian.macdonald@gowlingwlg.com

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Primary office:  Toronto



Ian Macdonald

Ian Macdonald is a partner in Gowling WLG's Toronto office who advises domestic and international businesses on all aspects of competition and antitrust law and foreign investment review.

With an emphasis on merger review, Ian has successfully represented private sector and state-owned-enterprise (SOE) clients in a wide range of industries in relation to dozens of pre-notifications under the Competition Act and reviews and notifications under the Investment Canada Act.

His recent representative transactions include:

  • Canadian counsel to State Farm in the acquisition by Desjardins Group of State Farm Canada's businesses in property and casualty and life insurance, as well as its Canadian mutual fund, loan and living benefits companies
  • Counsel to Sterigenics, a portfolio company of GTCR, in its US$826 million cross-border acquisition of Nordion Inc.
  • Counsel to Sterigenics in a recapitalization of Sterigenics with an affiliate of Warburg Pincus and GTCR
  • Canadian counsel to The Travelers Companies, Inc. in its cross-border acquisition of The Dominion of Canada General Insurance Company from E-L Financial Corporation Limited
  • Counsel to Westmoreland Coal Company on its acquisition of Sherritt International Corporation's Prairie and Mountain coal mining operations
  • Counsel to Samuel, Son & Co., Limited in its acquisition of Wilkinson Steel and Metals
  • Canadian counsel to Clean Harbors, Inc. on its US$1.25-billion acquisition of Safety-Kleen, Inc.
  • Canadian counsel to YM Biosciences Inc. in its cross-border acquisition by Gilead Sciences, Inc.

Ian also advises clients in relation to the civil and criminal provisions of the Competition Act, and has assisted clients in responding to information and document production orders in relation to alleged violations of the Act's civil and criminal provisions. He frequently prepares competition law compliance policies and conducts compliance seminars for clients.

Ian is deeply involved in the competition law and foreign investment review community. In addition to speaking at conferences and authoring articles, Ian is the past chair of the International Committee of the Competition Law Section of the Canadian Bar Association and a past member of the editorial board of the Canadian Competition Law Review.

Career & Recognition

Filter timeline:

Ian was a contributing author of the Firm's recently published book, The Electricity Industry In Canada, taking primary responsibility for the Ontario chapter.

In March 2022, Ian was a contributing author to "2022 Joint Ventures - Canada" in Lexology Getting the Deal Through. 

Representative Work

Ian has recently been involved in the following matters:

  • Counsel to Party City Holdco Inc. in the $174 million sale of the retail business and assets of its Canadian subsidiary, including 65 retail store locations in Canada, to Canadian Tire Corporation, Limited, as well as a long-term wholesale supply agreement in which Party City's wholesale business will provide Canadian Tire with consumer products [October 2019];
  • Counsel to US-based global power leader Cummins Inc. in its cross-border acquisition of Hydrogenics Corporation of Mississauga, Ontario, with an approximate enterprise value of $290 million [September 2019];
  • Counsel to Bombardier Inc. in the sale of its Q Series aircraft program assets to De Havilland Aircraft of Canada Limited (formerly Longview Aircraft Company of Canada Limited), an affiliate of Longview Aviation Capital Corp., for gross proceeds of approximately $300 million [June 2019]
  • Counsel to Aleafia Health Inc. in connection with its acquisition of Emblem Corp. valued at $172.3 million at the time of announcement, pursuant to a court approved plan of arrangement under the provisions of the Canada Business Corporations Act [March 2019];
  • Canadian counsel to The Riverside Company, a global private equity firm, on its acquisition of SureWerx, a leading supplier of professional tool, equipment and safety products for workers [November 2018];
  • Advising New World Gaming Partners Inc., a joint venture between Macquarie Group Limited and Crown Limited (formerly Publishing and Broadcasting Limited) in connection with its acquisition of Gateway Casinos Income Fund, certain subsidiaries of Gateway Casinos Inc. and Star of Fortune Gaming (B.C.) Corp.;
  • Advising Macquarie Securities (USA) Inc. in the formation of Macquarie Infrastructure Partners, a private equity fund focusing on infrastructure assets, and advising Macquarie Infrastructure Partners on various matters, including the acquisition of port assets in Nova Scotia and British Columbia, acquisitions of interests in Chicago Skyway, Indiana Toll Road, Dulles Greenway and South Bay Expressway, the acquisition of an interest in Aquarion Company, the acquisition by merger of an interest in Duquesne Light Holdings LLC, an electricity transmission and distribution company in the United States, and various other infrastructure acquisitions and financings;
  • Advising Macquarie Essential Assets Partnership, a private equity fund focusing on infrastructure assets, on various matters, including the acquisition of AltaLink LP, the operator of a major transmission utility in Alberta, the acquisition and subsequent disposition of an interest in Michigan Electricity Transmission Company LLC, the operator of a major electricity transmission utility in the State of Michigan, the construction of a natural gas electricity generation plant in Western Canada, the refurbishment of the Sea to Sky highway between Vancouver and Whistler, British Columbia, the acquisition of the Edmonton Ring Road construction project, and the acquisition of an interest in Aquarion Company, a water and waste-water company in the United States;
  • Advising British Energy plc and Bruce Power LP with respect to the sale of British Energy's entire 82.4% interest in Bruce Power to a consortium of Canadian investors including Cameco Corporation, BPC Generation Infrastructure Trust and TransCanada PipeLines Limited;
  • Advising Bruce Power LP in connection with various matters;
  • Advising various clients with respect to district energy matters, including energy services agreements;
  • Advising the City of Vaughan and the Town of Markham in merging their electricity distribution companies (which jointly owned the distribution company of the Town of Richmond Hill) to form Ontario's third largest distributor now called PowerStream Inc.;
  • Advising Fortis Inc. in its acquisition of Cornwall Street Railway, Light and Power Company Limited from Enbridge Consumers Energy Inc;
  • Advising Macquarie Infrastructure Group with respect to two transactions involving 407 International Inc. In one transaction, MIG, through a Luxembourg incorporated subsidiary, acquired from a subsidiary of the Caisse de Depot, a subordinated convertible debenture which represents a fully diluted 16.13% interest in 407 International. In the other transaction, Cintra Concesiones de Infraestructuras de Transporte S.A., in which MIG indirectly holds a 40% equity interest, and an affiliate of Cintra acquired a fully diluted 5.97% of the common shares of 407 International from SNC Lavalin Inc.; and
  • Advising Ontario Electricity Financial Corporation in the renegotiation of its portfolio of non-utility generation (NUG) contracts with independent power producers.